How We Met
by Xx.BiteMeh.xX
Summary: Arthur Trent is sent on a mission. To make a woman fall for him. But he doesn't know anything about her, just her name. Hope Cahill. But when Arthur finally meets Hope, his view of the Cahills change... COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Arthur tightened his grip around his father. He dropped his duffel bag and his suitcase as his arms wrapped around Trent Vesper.

"Oh, Arthur."

Arthur felt annoyance rush over him but when he looked at his father's anguished face, it faded.

"I can't believe they're sending you out right now!" he exclaimed. Trent's face fell with anxiety. "You're so young."

"I'm 31."

Trent flashed Arthur a sharp, stern, fatherly look. "But they're forcing you to fall for a girl you hardly know!" Trent turned around, head lowered and hands wringing.

"_Final boarding for Istanbul, Turkey_."

Arthur picked up his bags and leaned forward. "Dad?"

Trent was still talking to himself about how disapproving he thought of what mission they were sending his beloved, only child on.

"Dad?" Arthur repeated. "I need to go now."

Trent turned around so quickly that Arthur stumbled backwards. His father's face was red with anger and his eyes were wide and wet with anxiety. "No! No you do not need to go! I should have never let you accept this!" Trent raised a finger a pointed at Arthur. "Arthur Josiah Ves-Trent! First I lose you Mother, your grandparents and your uncle and cousin are all the way across the world! I will not lose you either!"

"Dad, Shep and Uncle Josiah are in Australia which is not that-"

"Shut up!" Trent's arm slowly dropped to one side. His furious face faded into a sad one. Quietly and softly, he said, "Good luck in Instanbul."

Arthur shoulder's sagged. His father was angry at him and this would be their last conversation in many years to come…and it was an argument. His father loved him. He had even changed Arthur's last name, Vesper, to Trent because he didn't want Arthur to get murdered.

"Thanks," Arthur said softly, patting his father's boney shoulder. Then he left.

Finding a person in a city was harder than Arthur Trent thought.

First of all, there were thousands of people everywhere. Second of all, it was hard to think with jet-lag and third of all, he hardly knew her. All Arthur knew of his target was her name.

Hope Cahill.

The hardest part was that there was dozens of Cahills around the world.

Arthur narrowed his eyes. _And there are dozens of Vespers too. Cahills are weaklings. Cahills are weaklings. Cahills are weaklings. _

Arthur shook his head, pushing the negative thoughts out of his head. He needed to think positive. Arthur turned towards a pay-phone and took some cash out of his wallet. Arthur flipped through the phonebook. He sighed and slammed it shut when nothing was English.

"Having trouble?"

Arthur turned around and found himself facing a man with tan skin and dark brown hair. He smiled a toothy crooked grin. "Er-I…uh…guess."

"Looking for a English phone book?"

Arthur stared at the man for a moment. He raised an eyebrow. "I…yeah."

"What for, friend?"

"Hotel," Arthur said quickly. It was true. He was finding a hotel for himself, and hoping that Hope Cahill would possible be there or have been there. "I-I'm looking for a hotel."

"You are American, right am I?" the man asked, leading them Arthur down the streets.

"Yes," Arthur replied.

"Ah, good thing you end up here."

"Actually, I just came out of the air-"

"Many good hotel here." The man continued walking and stopped in front of a large building with Turkish writing on a sign. "You come here. Many people speak your language."

"Er, uh, thanks."

Arthur walked into the building. It was a nice place, he decided. With red carpets and nice decorated walls. He walked up to the counter where a woman stood with her hair tied back in a ponytail. "I'd like to book a small room." He reached into his pocket and drew out his wallet. Arthur paused. Just a minute ago he had money in his hand for the pay-phone…

"Darn it!" he hissed. The man had stolen his money.

"Sir?"

Arthur turned back to the woman, trying to keep his teeth un-gritted. "Ah, yes," he said and realized he his voice had a hint of anger in it. He passed the money towards her.

The woman stared at him for a moment then passed him keys.

"Thanks," Arthur murmured. He fell onto his bed in the hotel room later and dropped his stuff on the ground and opened his suitcase where he kept his laptop.

He spent days finding Hope Cahill, failing helplessly. He even phoned hotels to see if Hope had booked a room.

_This is useless_. He thought bitterly on Day 10 of finding the horrible Hope Cahill. It was all her fault for making him come across the world. His father was right. The mission was as horrible as Hope Cahill.

Now, where was he now? In the middle of Istanbul, lost. _Totally useless. _He continued walking and felt hunger gnaw inside of him. He glanced around him. Either he couldn't see a café or he wasn't trying hard enough. In front of him was a woman with red-brown hair and light skin.

Arthur felt his heart fly out of his chest. Finally, since the day the man stole his money, a person who might speak English! He raced forward, dodging other people and not feeling the slightest hungry (either because he was used to it since he attended West Point Academy not so long ago or he was just too happy) as he ran. Arthur reached forward and tapped the woman. She swung around and Arthur's heart returned to his chest, skipping some beats as he saw the woman.

She was beautiful. Her long red-brown hair swinging as she turned, her jade green eyes sparkling and her teeth glimmering as she smiled. "Hello."

Arthur felt his legs began to give way and he steadied them. "Uh-uh…" He cleared his throat. _You're a West Point graduate and part of the family stronger than Cahills so act like it! _"Do-do you know where the closest café is?"

The woman laughed, her eyes closing and her nose twitching. She was beautiful in every way, even the nose twitching. "It's right over there!" she said, pointing forward.

Confusion overwhelmed Arthur. "Where?" There were so many buildings.

The woman gave out another laugh, throwing her head back. She smiled brightly. "C'mon, follow me." She led Arthur through the streets and stopped in front of a small building. "There," she said.

Arthur finally had the guts to say something other than a question. "Want to join me?"

The woman smile widened and she brushed her hair back behind her ears. "I would love to."

_Yes!_ But Arthur stopped short. How could he be falling for someone when another person, Hope Cahill, was supposed to be falling for him and him for her? He shook it away. _Whatever._

Arthur and the woman sat down at a table. Arthur leaned forward and a smile passed over his lips. "I'm Arthur Trent," he said.

The woman blinked and grinned. She leaned forward also and their faces nearly touched.

"Hope Cahill."


	2. Chapter 2

Arthur nearly fell off his chair, like, really, really, nearly. He tipped over and his foot slipped. His hands hit the ground and he pushed himself upwards to straighten himself.

Hope's beautiful green gaze settled on Arthur and her smile turned into a frown. "Are you okay?"

Arthur managed to a smile back. "Perfect," he replied.

"So," Hope said, tapping the table with her fingers. "What are you doing in Turkey?"

Arthur froze for a second and panicked, then, quickly, he made up a cover story. "I, uh, was in West Point then graduated. I decided to take a break from all the, uh, the, 'ten-huts!' and all that. And my roommate," Arthur shuddered, "Eisenhower Holt."

He wasn't lying. This was part of the reason why he accepted to come to Istanbul

For a second Hope stared at Arthur with shock and curiosity then smiled again.

Arthur continued. "You have no idea how relieved I am to be out of there! Waking up at 4:30 every morning and running three miles…"

"Wow," Hope marveled, eyes widening.

"And four years of that, every day." Arthur leaned back and sighed, closing his eyes. "It's nice for a break." He raised an eyebrow at Hope. "So what about you?"

Hope shrugged. "I was bored to death in Boston. I needed to get out and have some fun."

_You're lying_, Arthur thought. _You're a Cahill, Vesper's sworn enemy. You were sent here by the Cahills to find Clues. I was sent here to stop you. But here we are. A beautiful Cahill on one end of the table and a Vesper obsessed with math on the other end. _

"You're from Massachusetts?" Arthur asked, sitting up straight this time.

Hope nodded. "That's right."

Arthur couldn't take it anymore. He felt so…so weird, so nervous around her. He got up and pushed the chair in. He waved at Hope.

"You're leaving?" Hope asked, standing up also. "You haven't eaten anything."

"I'm not hungry anymore," Arthur replied heading for the door. He paused and turned around. "I'll-I'll see you?"

Hope took out a notebook from her purse, ripped at a page and jotted something down. She passed the piece of paper to Arthur. The corners of her mouth lifted into a gleaming smile. "Yes," she said. "Call me sometime."

Arthur sat at the edge of the hotel bed, running his finger along the piece of paper Hope had given him. She had written her name and phone number and bright purple ink. He felt a rush of affection as he stared at the piece of paper. Arthur grimaced. _I'm falling for her_, he thought. Yes, that was his mission, to fall for Hope Cahill and make her fall for him. But not really fall in love. Just, you know, fake. He ran his hand through his blonde-brown hair. _But I am really falling in love with her. She's so pretty, so kind, so...so…so perfect. _

Arthur sighed and fell back onto the bed and placed the sheet of paper on the small drawer beside the bed. He lay there for a moment, thinking when smoke hit his nose. Smoke…fire… He sat up straight.

He heard screaming from outside and heat began to fill the air as it became thicker and harder to breath.

Arthur picked up his backpack where he had the most important things. His laptop, his money, his passport, all that stuff. And it was breaking the rule. Never get anything when in fire. Just run.

But Arthur didn't care. There were things he loved, things that were precious in his backpack. He raced to the window, raised his fists and slammed the window. Glass dug into his hand but he didn't care. Arthur looked down. He could probably make the jump, hopefully. Squeezing his eyes shut, Arthur swung his leg over the window, glass ripping his pants and scraping his legs. He slid down and landed hard on the ground. Pain exploded in his knees and he rolled over, grunting and coughing madly.

Arthur stayed in the position, curled up on his backpack with his laptop jabbing his back. A moment later, he stumbled to his feet. But he needed to run. He was right in front of a burning building.

Blocking out everything, he ran, speeding past everybody as far as possible. He was sun focused into getting away that he hardly noticed he was hurtling straight into someone.

He collided with the person, falling backwards and looked up to see who it was.

"_Arthur_?" Hope Cahill exclaimed.

Arthur coughed, sitting up. "Yup, it's me."

Horror flashed over Hope's eyes. "You were _in _that fire?" she asked, looking at the hotel which was being engulfed by flames.

Arthur stared up at her, a few coughs escaping his mouth. "I think so," he said, winking and then coughing again. "But the fire didn't get into my room, thankfully."

"How did you get out?"

"I"-cough-"jumped out of the"-cough, sneeze-"window."

Hope looked around her and then settled her gaze back on Arthur. "C'mon. Let's get out of here." Hope gripped Arthur's arm and pulled him up.

"Where are we going?" Arthur rasped, following Hope. His legs felt weak and his throat was clogged. He was so tired.

"To where I stay," Hope told him simply.

The two walked for a while then a house came into a view, a small house. There was only two rooms. There was a stove, a bed and a desk and that's all. The second room's door was open and inside you could make out a bathroom.

"How long have you been staying here?" Arthur asks, his voice coming back.

"A few months."

Hope treated Arthur's cuts and pulled a few pieces of glass out and wrapped a bandage around his hand.

"Thanks," Arthur said to Hope, staring into her eyes.

Hope stared back. "Anytime," she said softly and gently, they're lips brushed. They continued to stare at each other for a moment when suddenly, Hope stood up. "I guess you're staying here for the night."


	3. Chapter 3

Arthur blinked open his eyes. _Where am I_? he wondered. The pain in his hand reminded him he was in Hope's "house".

Arthur sat up from the ground, rubbing his eyes. He had insisted on sleeping on the ground and finally Hope gave in. Arthur stood up and glanced at Hope's bed. It was empty and was already made.

"Arthur! You're up!" a voice exclaimed and Hope emerged from the washroom, brushing her wet hair and wearing a button-up, polo, stripped gray and white t-shirt.

Arthur rubbed his eyes. "Yeah, I'm up."

"You should probably take a shower too. How's your hand?"

Arthur grimaced as he raised his hand to look out it. The burning pain had faded into only a dull pain. "It's better."

Hope nodded. "Did you have any extra clothes in your backpack?" she asked, putting the comb down and walking towards the stove and pouring water into the kettle.

Arthur bent down and managed to open the backpack with one hand. Happiness flushed over him when he saw a couple sets of t-shirts and shorts. "Yup," he replied cheerfully and took out a set of clothes. He took a shower and when he came out, the room smelled of toast and eggs.

Arthur stopped short and turned to Hope who was munching quietly on a piece of toast and reading a book. "How-?"

Hope looked up. "Oh, I just went shopping." She reached forward and pulled the other chair out. "C'mon, sit."

Arthur hesitantly sat down. He didn't know why but it just felt wrong to be sleeping in Hope's house, using her water and eating her food…and a getting kiss.

He stood up and backed away. "I-I can't."

Hope stood up as well.

"I just can't stay here. It's not right to be using your things and eating your food and sleeping here. I don't know how I can repay you."

Hope stared at him for a moment and in a soft voice, she said, "You don't have to."

Arthur stared back at her and he slowly sank into the seat. "I want to."

Hope shook her head. "No, no, I don't accept money."

"Then something else," Arthur replied. He smiled at Hope. "I'll think of something else."

For some reason, Arthur felt sadness claw at his heart when he booked a hotel room.

Hope turned to Arthur. "Bye."

Arthur turned his gaze towards Hope. He smiled at her. "We'll keep in touch, right?" But he frowned. "Could I get your number again?"

Hope also smiled and began writing her number again with the purple ink. "Of course, Arthur." As she gave Arthur the sheet of paper, she said, "I'm sorry we couldn't find any vacant hotels by my house."

Arthur laughed as he took Hope's number. "Your fault? No, it wasn't your fault, Hope."

There was and awkward silence between them when suddenly Arthur placed his left hand on the back of Hope's head. (It would have been his right hand but that was bandaged). He leaned forward and their lips locked. Hope tensed for a moment then relaxed and wrapped her arms around Arthur.

_What am I doing?_ Arthur screamed to himself as he realized he was kissing Hope. _You're kissing the girl of your dreams, idiot._ Arthur answered himself. He drew away and stumbled backwards. "I-I should go now."

Hope just smiled at him. "See you at the restaurant across the street tomorrow?"

Arthur began to tip over and placed his hand on the counter, thankfully, it was his left hand. Hope was asking him out on a date. "Yes," he replied, too quickly, to eagerly. "Yes, Hope."

Hope laughed and she turned and waved. "6:30!" she said and disappeared out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

Arthur popped the last piece of lamb into his mouth and whiped his mouth. "Mm, this stuff I great!" he exclaimed after swallowing.

Hope laughed. "I know, right? It's the best place in Istanbul! Well, at least the best place _I've_ been."

Arthur agreed and took out some cash from his pocket and laid it out on the table. He stood up, straightening his t-shirt. "I'll walk you to your house," he said.

Hope wasn't wearing very formal either. She wore a t-shirt with flowers all over it and shorts.

They walked down the streets where few people roamed. It was around 7:30 then.

"Istanbul is nice," Hope sighed, gazing around.

"Yeah," Arthur murmured, watching Hope as her marveled eyes studied the buildings. He turned away and watched as a man came towards them. He wore a black suit, long gray pants and a hat that covered his face, despite the heat. He came closer and Arthur had an odd feeling he wasn't just any normal person.

The man was now passing them and Arthur felt relieved. But suddenly, Hope let out a cry.

As if it was a natural reaction, Arthur took hold of the guy quickly and pushed him to the ground. The man released Hope's arm.

"Go Hope!" Arthur cried as he man struggled to get up. He could sense Hope standing there and he knew she was staring at them with horror. Then Arthur saw her feet turn he stood up, gripping the man buy his shirt collar. "What were you doing?" he asked angrily.

The man's hat had fallen off and his eyes were wide with fear. "I-I was sent here!"

"By who?"

"The Vespers!" the man cried out, closing his eyes. "The Vespers sent me to kill the Cahill!"

Arthur paused for a moment. The Vespers? The Vespers sent a bounty hunter to kill Hope? Arthur gulped. He himself was a Vesper and was utterly shocked of what the man had told him. Vespers were never known to kill. "Why?"

"They-they want all the Clue-hunters dead!" the man stuttered, his face red.

"Why?" Arthur prompted.

"They didn't tell me!" the man screeched.

Arthur stared at the man, his merciful face and scared to death. He loosened his grip and sighed. "What's your name?" he said in a softer voice.

"Wilbin!" the man told him fearfully. "Austin Wilbin!" He drew his hands over his face. "Please don't kill me! The Vespers gave me no choice! Either kill Hope Cahill or get killed."

"_What_?" Arthur cried, dropping the man and stumbling backwards. _Vespers were threatening to kill someone! _Arthur felt horrible, cheated. All his life he was a Vesper, grown to hate Cahills but never told that Vespers were…this! That Vespers were monsters, were murderers.

Arthur turned and ran, running as fast as he could. _Cheated_, he thought. _Lied to. They told me we were great, Vespers were great. If being murderers makes Vespers great, I don't want to be a great Vesper_.


	5. Chapter 5

"Yesterday night," Hope began, taking a drink from a cup of water. "What exactly happened after you told me to run?"

Arthur didn't look at Hope. He stayed in his seat in Hope's "house". "I let the man go," he said, praying that Hope wouldn't ask for details.

Hope didn't say anything; instead, she laid her hand on Arthur's. "Are you alright, Arthur?" she asked quietly.

Arthur still didn't meet Hope's eyes, as lovely as they were. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you've been a bit distant since last night and I can tell you don't want to talk about it. I won't push you."

Arthur felt a rush of gratefulness for Hope.

"Oh and last night," Hope said suddenly. "You repaid me."

Arthur shook his head and stood up, finally looking at Hope. "No, I would've done that for anybody."

For a second, hurt flashed in Hope's eyes but in another second, it was replaced by cheerfulness and she smiled like she always did.

"I still owe you," Arthur told her. He reached forward and took Hope's hands in his. He gave her a soft smile. "Let's go get some breakfast."

Hope nodded and followed Arthur outside. "So what do you plan on doing when you get home?" she asked.

Arthur thought for a moment and reflected upon his dream in West Point. "I want to be a math professor," he said and then turned to Hope. "What about you?"

"I was an archeologist back at home and I plan to continue to be one."

Arthur raised his eyebrows. Hope had said she was bored to death at home the day they met buy she was an _archeologist_. Don't they do fun stuff? Arthur shook himself. Maybe she thought the fun stuff was boring.

"And maybe raise a family," she added, turning to look at Arthur and her face beaming.

Arthur opened the door to a restaurant and sat down on the chair. "Archeologist huh?" he said and gave her a teasing look. "And a family?"

Hope laughed. "Are you hinting at something?"

Arthur lifted his chin. "Maybe." _Yes. _

Hope laughed again. "So what about you?" she asked. "What's your life like?"

Arthur blew out some air. "Well," he said hesitantly. "I have a dad. My mom died in my third year in West Point."

Hope's smile faded. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

Arthur shrugged, folding his hands. "That was two years ago. I got over it."

"How did she die?"

Arthur thought for a moment and wondered if he could share this with her. _Yes_, he told himself, _she's part of your life now. Tell her but not the real truth. _"She died of, uh, heart attack." That was true. Apparently, according to his father, Bonnie Vesper had been on a mission for the Vespers and had died of a heart attack in China. But, after last night, Arthur began to doubt if even this was true.

"My father died."

_That could be a lie_, Arthur thought but oddly, he believed Hope. He trusted Hope and even more oddly, he believed and trusted her more than he trusted his own family. Horror struck him when he realized this but he forced the horror away. _If I love Hope, she has to be the one I trust the most in my life_.


	6. Chapter 6

Vespers were evil.

Arthur had found that out in the one and a half year he stayed in Istanbul. He met Vespers in Turkey that were sent to either spy on Arthur and Hope, kill Hope or do either one and Arthur made sure they didn't.

A few weeks before Arthur would leave back for home, he did something that he would only do once in his life.

"Hope?" Arthur called, knocking the door to the place where Hope was staying. "Hello?"

The door swung upon and Hope grinned when she saw Arthur. She wrapped her arms around him.

"Hey Arthur!" Hope exclaimed, planting a kiss on his cheek. She opened the door wider. "Come in!" She followed after Arthur walked inside. "Coming to invite me for breakfast?"

Arthur felt sweat run down his brow and he scratched the back of his head, nervousness itching at him. "Well, yeah, I- yeah, sure."

"Alright, let's go," Hope said, opening the door again.

"Wait," Arthur called, walking towards Hope and putting a hand on her shoulder. "I-I need to tell you something."

Hope paused, and then turned, closing the door. She sat down and pulled the other chair out. "What?" she asked softly.

_How am I supposed to say this? _He sat down. "I didn't just come here for a vacation," he told her. "I was sent here, by the Vespers." Arthur searched Hope's face for anything but it remained blank. "And I know you didn't just come here on a vacation either," he continued. "You're searching for Clues from the 39 Clues. I was sent here to find out more about the Clues, I think."

Hope's face still remained blank.

After taking a deep breath, he continued, "I'm supposed to love you. I was supposed to fake it. But the thing is, I _do _love you and that's all wrong. A Vesper isn't supposed to really love a Cahill." He stood up. "But I don't want to be a Vesper. I don't want to belong to a bloodline of family members who murder and hate others and the problem is that…that I want to marry you."

Hope looked up and the colour returned to her face. She stood up and grabbed Arthur's hand. She smiled. "That's not a problem," she said softly.

"I'm really sorry I never told you Hope. All this time I knew about you and-and I knew that I was sent here to purposely fall for you. It's just that…" He broke off and fell back into the chair. "I'm such a horrible person. I lied to you, Hope. All this time I lied."

He felt Hope's hand touch his. "It's alright," she said softly. "I know everything. I lied too."

"What?" Arthur looked up.

Hope chuckled nervously and softly. "I know you're a Vesper. The Cahills are monitoring you. They're spying on you." She sighed. "I need to tell you my story. I was sent here also to find the Clues. The Cahills told me you were a Vesper and they told me that you would be in Turkey as well."

"And there's something else," Arthur said. "There are Vespers trying to kill you, like that man the first night we went out. I was raised to hate Cahills and never told that Vespers were worse than Cahills. I'm supposed to hate Cahills but then I met you."

"I know," Hope said softly.

Arthur suddenly remembered why he was here. "So you'll marry me?"

Hope looked shocked for a moment, then, slowly, her eyes brightened and she smiled. "Yes," she said, her voice cracking a looked like she was near tears. She nodded slowly. "Yes, I'll marry you."

Arthur stood up and laughed and wrapped his arms around Hope, holding her close. He drew away and took Hope's hands. "I'm joining you on the Clue hunt. I'm not going to stay a Vesper. I don't want to be."

Hope laughed and sank her head into Arthur's shoulder. They stayed there until Hope said, "Thanks for repaying me."

Arthur stopped smiling and confusion overwhelmed him. "What?"

Hope looked up. "That morning after the fire, you said you'd repay me somehow after. You repaid me right now by joining the Clue hunt with me."

Arthur smiled. "Well I guess this is where our adventure begins."

"You can come in now, Mr. Trent."

Arthur stood up as the nurse beckoned him. He walked into the hospital room and there, in the bed, lay Hope and a baby in her arms. Arthur sank to the ground onto his knees and laughed, stroking the baby's head. "She looks just like you," Arthur said and it was true. The baby's eyes were jade green and her hair was red-brown. Arthur looked up at Hope and their eyes met. "And she's beautiful."

"Amy," Hope said suddenly. "How about Amy?"

Arthur nodded. "Yes," he said. "Amy."


	7. Chapter 7

Arthur sank into the couch and rubbed his forehead. "They know we have it," he said as soon as he heard Hope's footsteps directly behind him. She had just returned from putting Amy to her bed.

Hope sat down beside him. "They _think _we have it," she corrected.

Arthur shook his head. "No, they know we were in Australia." He gave a short chuckle. "Koalas. Did you ever think 'koalas' could tell a person where someone else has been?"

"Oh Arthur," Hope sighed, holding his hand. "It's not Amy's fault. She's seven."

"I'm not blaming her," Arthur murmured. "The others will do something about it. They'll do anything to get that Clue."

Hope rested her head on Arthur's shoulder and stroked his arm. "We won't let them get the Clue." But suddenly she gave in. "Oh Arthur! How are we supposed to raise a family like this! How are we supposed to raise Amy and Dan with the 39 Clues in our lives and possibly-" Hope stopped short and Arthur knew why.

"Fire," he whispered. There was no doubt there was a fire. A sudden scorching heat had entered the room and smoke began to fill the air. Arthur sprang from the seat. "Hope! Get Amy and Dan! I'll get the Clue!"

"But-"

Arthur was already racing towards the library room. He ran in and pulled a book out. Behind should have been the poem but it was gone. Arthur began to panic and continued to pull books off the shelf but the fire was already spreading into the room. This was nothing like the fire in Istanbul. It was bigger, more dangerous. Arthur coughed and his clothes were already soaked in sweat.

"Daddy!" came a voice and Arthur turned. There, in Hope's arms was Amy with her own arms spread out.

Arthur paused from throwing books onto the floor. He looked at Amy. Her koala night-gown was dark with ash and Amy was crying. "Angel," Arthur said. "Go with Mommy."

"Arthur!" Hope cried and Arthur stared at her, begging her to go and she did.

Arthur continued to throw books onto the ground and so far the poem was not there. _Where is it_? There were no more books left.

"Arthur!" Hope screamed, running into his arms as the door, which was on fire, fell to the ground, blocking the entrance.

"I can't find it," Arthur said softly and fearfully. "The poem-it's not here." He gripped Hope's arms. "Why are you here?" he boomed angrily. "Why didn't you stay outside? You'd be safe!"

"I needed to find the Clue," Hope told him. "And I couldn't leave you."

"Are Amy and Dan safe?" he asked.

"Yes," Hope answered.

Arthur winced and tightened his grip around Hope as the roof creaked. He turned to stare into Hope's green fearful eyes.

"I love you, Arthur," Hope said, tears streaming down her wet cheeks.

Arthur continued to stare in Hope's eyes and inside he saw everything. He saw the day they met when Arthur was looking for a café, the day of the fire, in Hope's house, their first date, when Arthur proposed, Amy's birth, their anniversaries, Dan's birth…

Arthur knew they were going to die. The burning roof began to fall on them.

"I love you too, Hope."


	8. Author's Notes

**So yeah.**

**I hoped you liked it. **** And if you're wondering why in the last chapter about the koalas, I'll tell you the story. **

**BEWARE OF SPOILERS! :O**

**In Book 6, Amy has flashbacks about the day her parents died. Well, Amy came downstairs and Isabel picked her up and asked if the animals on her nightgown were teddy bears and Amy said koalas, so that told them that Arthur and Hope went to Australia and found a Clue.**

**So, you may be wondering why suddenly Arthur's in one place and suddenly in the other. Well, I tried to make it look like it was a different time by skipping a few spaces but for some reason it doesn't show. So when it says that Arthur had a hard time finding someone in Istanbul in the first chapter, that's supposed to be another paragraph, and after he meets Hope and he's in a hotel room, that too. Also, in the next chapter where it says Arthur was sad when he booked a hotel, that two and in Chapter 7, after Arthur says, "I guess this is where our begins." Right after that it's a new paragraph.**

**So yeah.**


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